Continuous mold alignment



June 24, 1952 A J. F. JORDAN 2,601,515

CONTINUOUS MOLD ALIGNMENT Filed July l0, 1950 INVENTOR: n

Patented June 24, 1,952

J ames Fernando .l-urllan.'y Huntington Park, Calif. Application July 10, 1850, Serial No. 172,933

l 1 claim. (ci. ca -51.2)

My invention relatesv to the continuous casting 'of metal shapes in a Water-cooled mold.

In order to satisfactorily operate a continuous mold, it has been found necessary to lubricate the outside surface of the cast shape, so that contact between said surface `and the wall of said mold does not cause binding therebetween. While lubrication tends to prevent binding, it not only fails to prevent certain other effects arising from improper alignment ofthe cast shape within the mold, but it also interferes with the flow of radiant heat across the shrink gap 1ying between the shape and the mold. If contact between said surface and said mold takes place shortly after the casting. skin first forms, said skin will be either torntor deformed; lubricant or no lubricant; furthermore. improper alignment introduces an uncertain heat-flow situation into the picture as the mold removes heat faster from those portions of the cast shape which lie closest to said mold. In short, lubrication is not a proper substitute for proper alignment between the cast shape and the mold.

My invention concerns my method of centering the cast shape within the mold, so that contact between said shape and said mold is eliminated, and so that skin tears and deformation are eliminated. Other objects will be 'apparent in the specification.

The conventional method of centering the cast shape within the mold consists of so withdrawing said cast shape out of said mold so that said shape is centered with respect the opening in the mold out thru which the cast shape emerges, themold and cast shape being independently supported. Such alignment `does not assure the absence of skin tear and distortion; for, alignment at the bottom opening of the mold does not assure align'- ment within the mold, and it is the alignment within the mold that is our major concern. Re-

alizing this, some operators attempt to withdraw the cast shape out of the mold so that the casting axis-the axis of the mold-coincides with the axis of the cast shape-in other words, so that the mold and shape are coaxial. Even if it were possible to coaxially align the mold and the shape at the beginning of the operation, there is little chance that conventional means for withdrawing the cast shape out of the mold could long maintain this coaxial relationship, due to the diiculties surrounding the precise handling of a redfhot, heavy object, such as an ingot. Furthermore, with the mold and shape independently supported, so that the mold is permanently i'lxed while the cast shape is moveable in accordance with the mode of operation of the withdrawal means positioned well below the bottom of the mold, the upper end of the cast shape must inevitably move around within said moldlas slight changes in the action of the withdrawing means v are reflected in movements at thev top of the cast t shape.

Nor would it help the situation to so arrange the withdrawal so that movements of the top of the cast shape were slight, for if the top of the shape moves at all, however slightly, the freshly-formed skin of the casting will be distorted, crushed, or worse. When the skin of the i casting rst forms and draws away from the wall v of the mold, the clearance between skin and Wall is at first only a few thousandthsof an inch and said skin is very weak and brittle, so that if a movement of the cast shape presses the-freshly- ,.a. formed skin against the wall of the mold, said can develop when an ingot weighing tons-being,

skin is easily deformed, and the skin will likely be torn. When it is remembered that these troubles perhaps, twenty or thirty feet long and supported by withdrawing means position ten feet or more from the point where said skin is first formingmoves only a few thousandths of an inch at its top, it will be appreciated that even a slight wobble will at once crush the freshly-formed skin.

I have solved this problem by mounting the mold so that it is free to move with the cast I shape as said shape moves in a horizontal or tipping manner, and then I align said mold with said cast shape at at least two positions along the cast shape, the means of such alignment being arranged so that movements on the part of the cast shape will be immediately reflected in corresponding movements on the part of the mold.

In the figure, I show mold 8 being cooled 'by water II flowing thru jacket arrangement 9. In-

coming molten metal 5 enters mold 8 to form pool I0, surface l being the surface of said -pool II). Mold 8 is shown positioned on platform I4 thru the instrumentality of springs I3, said springs I3 11, being arranged so that they permit horizontal or tipping movements of the part of mold 8, while preventing the downward movement of mold 8. As pool ID solidii'les at interface I2 to form shape I9, shrink gap I'I forms between shape I9 and mold 8, gap I1 bein-g formed by the contraction of the metal, by the taper of mold 8, or both. For the purpose of clearly picturing the action of my arrangement, the width of gap I1 between oi' solidication.

I align. mold 8 with shape I9 by, first, centerling shape I9 -within mold 8 'by means of a plurality of bearings I6, the adjustment being made with adjustment screws I8 as the relative position of mold lIl and shape I9 is observed thru viewing holes I5, and then I center shape I9 within mold 8 by means of a plurality of bearings Hs, the adjustment being made with adjustment screws I I8. Bearing means I 6 and IIB being supported by mold A8, horizontal or tipping movements on the part of shape I9 will be immediately and quantitatively reflected in paralleling movements r'ny mold 8, resulting in the continued maintenance of the cast shape in a centered, outof-eontact position with respect to mold 8.

Bearings I6 and IIB are any type of bearings which are capable of transmitting the movements ialign the mold and shape.

vmetal tube that forms mold 8 is extended beof shape I9 to mold 8; that is, they may befric-a.

tion-type bearingsas shown inthe figure, orI

they may be live bearings-'ball bearings or roll ers, for example. erted on bearings I6 and IIE may be transmitted to mold 8 thru the instrumentality of `springs (not shown) that lie between said bearings I6 and IIS and adjustment screws I8 Yand IIIL'the tension on said springs being adjusted so that said tension maintains the centered relationship be tween mold 8 and shape I9. When casting a round shape I9, at least three bearings-should be employed at each aligning position, as in the 4rigure; when casting -a-square or rectangular shape I8, at least four bearings should be positioned around the cast shapethat is, atleast one bear-` Y upper, open end of mold `8 clear, so as to faeilitate the pouring operation.

Another type of continuous'mold is available for casting a continuous shape. My application, Serial No. 87,048, filed on 'April 23, 1951, now -matured into Patent No. 2,553,921, disclosedsucha mold. The mold of 87,048 employs the 'blind riser principle, said mold being suspended over and dippinginto themolten metal that is to be cast, so that said molten metal flows into said mold by 'flowing up thru the refractory zopening at the immersed end of the mold, the solidified shape being withdrawn out of the opening in thevtop o f said mold by withdrawing means positioned above said mold. By turning the gure upside down, the use of my present invention in -a mold of the type of'87,048 may be seen, except forthe refractory arrangements on the immersed end of they moldarrangements which hav-e no vbearing inthe present invention.

Whatever the spring supporting arrangement may be, the water-jacket of the mold must be connected to its source of water supply by means of rubber pipaso that thewater ,connections do not interfere withfthe actionof; spring means I3.

Variousv arrangements may be 'employed to In the iigure, the

.yond the water-cooled section, so as to facilitate the operationLhowever, the water-cooled section maybe arranged so that the bearings are posi- Furthermore, the force extioned ftheireil..`

Having now described my invention, I wish it `to -be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts hereinbefore disclosed, Yexcept :insofar :as such limitations are .specified in the appended clain. if

/I claim -asmyinventiom II'n a continuous 'casting apparatus 'having an open-ended mold, and vmeans for withdrawing out'rof 4said *mold ,metal .solidied Within said mold,` the combination thm-srewitli of elastic means forvsupporting said moldfs'aid elastic means being position-:between said vmold and .-a rigid support, andi-mold aligning means 'for vcoaxially aligning said mold vwith the solidified shape fbeing :formed within. and withdrawn :from

'said mold, said `mold aligning meansbeing supported by .said mold and vbeing positioned with respect to said solidined shape by bearingmeans which contact said solidified shape, so 2that-sub tantiallyall'horizontal movements of said cast shape are l imparted' -to f said mold 'by said aligning means. 1

'JAMES FERNANDO JORDAN.

REFERENCES -CITED The followingreferencesare ofY recordin the ille of this patent:l

UNITED s'TJATEs' Y,Plifrxirrrs 813.400 France .i.' Mar. 23,1942 

